Montefiascone
Discover the legend of Est! Est!! Est!!!
Hello friends, today I will tell you about one of the most famous Italian wines, Est! Est!! Est!!! from Montefiascone. This unusual name derives from a legend dating back to the year 1111.
According to the legend, Bishop Johannes Defuk was traveling to Rome with his butler Martino, a wine connoisseur, to receive the crown of Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from Pope Paschal II. Martino had been tasked with tasting the wine in every place they passed through, to find the best ones for the bishop.
Martino, using a pre-arranged signal with the bishop, heavily punctuated the door of the inn where he had found a particularly good wine: "Est! Est!! Est!!!". The bishop, happy to find a good wine, decided to stop in Montefiascone for three days. Due to his passion for wine, he stayed in the city until his death, apparently due to an excess of drinking.
In this place, Bishop Johanes Defuk still rests in the church of San Flaviano in Montefiascone, where an inscription is engraved on a grey peperino slab: "Due to too much EST! here lies my lord Johannes Defuk." Additionally, the bishop left the city a fortune of 24,000 scudi with the request that every year, a glass of Est! Est!! Est!!! from Montefiascone be poured at his tomb.
Characteristics of Est! Est!! Est!!!
In addition to the legend, this Italian white wine has many other remarkable characteristics. Est! Est!! Est!!! from Montefiascone is a controlled designation of origin wine and must possess specific organoleptic characteristics:
- It must be clear.
- The color must be bright straw yellow.
- The aroma must be wine-like.
- The taste must be savory, full-bodied, harmonious, dry or semi-dry.
- The minimum alcohol content must be 10.5% by volume.
These characteristics make Est! Est!! Est!!! a high-quality white wine that represents the Alta Tuscia production area.
Production area
The production area of Est! Est!! Est!!! is located in the municipalities of Alta Tuscia, including Montefiascone, Bolsena, San Lorenzo Nuovo, Grotte di Castro, and Gradoli. The Italian region of Lazio, with its Mediterranean climate, offers a perfect location for the cultivation of grapes that give life to this precious white wine.
Production of Est! Est!! Est!!!
The production of Est! Est!! Est!!! is regulated and controlled by the Italian state. Over the years, production figures have varied. For example, in 1990/91, the province of Viterbo produced 16,498.81 hectoliters of Est! Est!! Est!!!. In 1991/92, this number increased to 22,260.63 hectoliters, while in 1992/93, it stopped at 19,567.69 hectoliters. In 1993/94, production increased to 20,886.51 hectoliters, and in 1994/95, it reached its historical high with 23,689.06 hectoliters. In 1995/96, 21,150.7 hectoliters were produced, while the following year it dropped to 20,055.38.
Bibliography
In conclusion, if you are looking for an Italian white wine with a story behind it, Est! Est!! Est!!! from Montefiascone is definitely for you. Its legend, organoleptic characteristics, and well-regulated production make it one of the most important wines in the Alta Tuscia production area. If you are interested in learning more, I recommend reading Johann Jacob Geysius, where you can delve into the history of this wine and its fame worldwide. Cheers!
